Wichita eagle., 1887-01-15
THE SONS OF GREAT MEN.
THE GIFTS OF THE GREAT ARE Sell
DOM TRANSMITTED.

/ The Sons of Our Statesmen Have. In Al
most all Gases. Indicated no Inheritance
| of Their Fathers intellectual Abilities.
! Illustrations.
| Take, for instance, our presidents
! Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe,
| jackson have no male descendants. Presi-
! dent Van Buren's son John was man of
extraordinary quick wit, keen intellect
( and brilliancy as a lawyer. He was
/ known as Prince John. but he was not a
man of steady purpose or of such charac-
/ ter as makes ability tell for its best.
| President HarriSon's son was man in
no special way conspicuous, though the
| grandson, the present Senator Harrison,
| is thought BY many 10 be man of excep-
tional ability. Yet there Is no lesson OF
heredity to be learned from. Senator Har-
risou's career, inasmuch as William
| Henry Harrison was very far from being
a great man, and was elected to the preSi-
dency for reasons with which his mental
character had very little to do. John
TYLER was an accidental president, and
not man of commanding ability. One
of his sons is struggling physician in
Washington and another has held minor
positions under the government. Polk
and Taylor had, we believe, no sons.
Franklin Pierce lost his son by rail-
road accident soon after Mr.. Pierce s
election The youth was regarded as Civ
ing promise Of great ability. Buchanan
was a bachelor. Lincoln 5 son Robert in
no way whatever, physically or mentally,
suggests his paternity. He seems to have
inherited physically the short, stocky
build of the Todds from his mother, and
their rather phlegmatic mental constitu-
ton. 1t was thought by many that one
of Mr.. Lincoln's sons, Willie, who died
young. gave promise Of inheriting some
of his fathers remarkable traits of mind
Andrew Johnson son was a man OF only
average capacity, while Gen. Grant three
boys are certainly not distis guished above
their fellows Fred leads listleSS, I'M
ambitious life; Ulysses is sort OF amateur
farmer in Westchester county, while
Jesse is following a quiet business career.
Gen Garfield has one boy, Irwin, who IS
thought to have inherited some OF his
fathers literary ability, but James and
Henry Garfield, though young men of
fair attachments, have not discovered
such mental strength as their father had.
Gen. ArthUr's son, Alan, is student in
the Columbia law shool. Possibly he
may develop into strong man by and
by
HENRY CLAWS HOPE.
Henry Clay was greatly disappointed in
his sons He had hope that his mantle
would fall on one of them, but he lived
long enough to see that his hope was vain.
Daniel Webster's son, Fletcher, was a
quiet, somewhat scholarly gentleman,
without a single suggestion of the posses
sion of his fathers great ability. He was
a gallant officer during the war, and was
killed in service. Not one, we believe it
is safe to say, of the men who so ably
made history for us in the past, left sons
who took up the work their fathers left
Off. and carried il on with signal ability.
The names we now hear and have heard
for a generation are new names. None of
them suggest the giants of old. The
brilliant Tom Ewing's son is now quiet
LAWYER in New York. Tom Benton S
grandsons are youths of character but of
10 conspicuous ability. Clayton, Dallas,
Il. NJ. Johnson, Wright and Marcy, the
Clintons, these and many others have be-
uueathed none of their ability.
MI Carlisle has two sons who are prac-
ticing law in the growing town of Wichita,
Kan. One of them is thought TO give
promise of becoming q great lawyer. Mr..
Blaine has three sons. One is in the rail
wey business in Chicago; one, Walker,
has been able to adopt the habits and life
OF people who move in good society with
distinguished success, but not as yet has
he developed any of the wonderfully
magnetic and stirring qualities that have
made his father pre-eminent- AnOt1 Ter,
young jim, as he is called. is thought to
have some of Mr.. Blaine 5 ability, though
his eXuberart youthful spirits have not
permitted him 10 make much manifesto
ton of it. If il be so. That eccentric but
gifted warrior, Gen. Sherman, had looked
for q career for his son which in other
fields night equal his own. bat the young
man has given himself 10 the life of u
priest in the Church of Rome John Sher-
man has no children. Through the
EwinGs the Shcrmans and BIaines are re
lated. 50 hat it is likely that 10 he Ewing
blood these able men can il q manner
ascribe their gifts. Senator Bayard VIII
probably be the last of his family to hold
conspicuous public office. ut least in con
secutive line His son i an amiabIe. con-
scientious young man, but with 10 taste
for those pursuits which made his father,
Uncle and grandfather famous.
SONS or SENATORS.
The late Gov Hubbard. Of Connecticut.
though not wen known outside the state
except to the bar Of the country. was re-
carded rs one al the most brilliant minds
that state has ever produced Of recent
years. He was a very able lawyer and
most delightful orator. His son 'iuherits
neither these tastes nor capacities. lie
Is q brisk little business man and buys and
sells stocks ON Change. HawleT, I'd
mgnds. Sherman COnklinZ. now or lately
Of the senate. have not sons. tu6l,ns
unquesc.onabIy iuherits some Of his gifts
lis father. Judge CCukliug. was an able
man. platy, VINO is not d conspicuous
senator but IS regarded b. his colleagues
81 q very able man, has . son who. though